Imperialis Custos: The Zero Factor
by Zachg56
Summary: As a loyal Imperial commando and his force-sensitive compatriot find themselves in a galaxy far far away, will they set aside their differences for their new 'master', or will entrenched enmities set this mystical land aflame? Will their summoner, Louise the Zero, be able to handle these two former enemies, or will she be forced to choose a side?
1. A new story begins

_Sub-Sector: [Data Redacted]  
System: [Data Redacted]  
Planet – Lapurnus  
Population: Formerly 3 billion citizens, plus wild-life and local fauna  
Current Status: Undergoing planetary wide bombardment – Base Delta Zero_

"Varl, call off the evac, we're done."

"_Defiance,_ Bravo One Six. Hold off your birds. We aren't gonna make it. We are low on ammo and hostiles are closing in. They have us completely surrounded and there's no end to them."

"Bravo One Six, _Defiance. _Your actions today will not be forgotten. Thanks to your team, countless Imperial citizens were rescued. Your deaths will not have been in vain. Good luck."

"For the Empire."

Sergeant John 'Kilroy' Varl of the doomed unit known as Bravo One Six, silently cursed under his breath about the current situation he found himself in. _Shavit, this was never supposed to be a suicide op._ He thought, furious at the fact that what was supposed to be a relatively simple capture mission had devolved into utter chaos when some idiot…no...Half-crazed lunatic of a scientist decided to release a horrendous plague upon the world. The fact that anyone or anything, regardless of species, turned into mindless beast all hungering for living flesh once infected, essentially made the sensitive nature of his units task into something that could be delicately put into the term FUBAR.

"All in the name of science, my Imperial ass."

Snarling at the sight of one of his comrade's position getting overrun, John was morbidly pleased that within mere seconds of this occurring, his fellow trooper's thermal detonator went off spectacularly; the explosion killing off several of the horde and cutting off a sizeable avenue of approach. Grimly aware that the six man squad was now down to half strength, barring their very helpful 'package', the weary sergeant slung his current weapon for a nearby E-11. Despite the fact that the GR-110(M) rifle that he carried was formidable on its own, it did not have anywhere as much in terms of ammo capacity in comparison to the standard issued E-11 blaster rifle. The irony that a storm commando, an elite soldier in the Imperial Army whose tactics and success placed heavy emphasis on stealth and covert ops, was now favoring the brute force method known as, "Taking you bastards with me!", was not lost to him.

"Hey Jedi, when this is all over, I'll see you in Valhalla…Or Hell, whichever you prefer."

* * *

_I hate this, I hate this so much. Oh Brimir, our Blessed Founder, please grant me this one wish; please, grant me a successful summoning this day. _Louise thought, praying to her spiritual founder for a chance of redemption.

Despite the fact that it was a beautiful day in the land of Tristain, the sixteen year old girl's current mood was just the opposite. Branded by her classmates as Louise 'The Zero' for her constant failure of casting spells, she had no reservations about her chances were. For if she were to fail today during the summoning ritual, then the amount of worth the pink haired girl had, could very well be regarded as next to nil. _Like a commoner._

"Miss Vallière, it's your turn." Her professor, Mr. Colbert, kindly stated. Unlike most of the teaching staff at the academy that she never really got along with, Louise had always liked Mr. Colbert, for despite being a failure of a mage, he had always supported her.

Furtively glancing at the rest of her class, especially at her rival Kirche, she couldn't help but feel envy and rage over just how lucky the big breasted idiot was in summoning a salamander. Jealous over this, Louise silently wished for a familiar that was just as worthy, nay, even more powerful or majestic of a creature. Something that she could show her mother with pride, and not have to go through the constant abuse of being considered trash that merely playing as a noble-born.

_Then again, anything will do. And I truly mean anything, be it a monster or a spiritual guide, just something to prove I am not worthless._

Using her runes to carve out a flawless pentagram in the dirt, she hoped that the rest of the ritual would go just as smoothly. Rising up, the young mage extended her wand and began to perform both the chant as well as wand motions perfectly. This was the fruit of her efforts, everything she was doing, she had drilled and mesmerized into herself constantly for several days as if all of her life had lead to this point. As she cast the spell and fully expecting yet another failure, Louise quietly prayed for success.

Instead, the ritual circle exploded, leaving nothing but a few blood stains as the smoke and dust cleared.

_Oh Brimir, not only did I fail the ritual, I completely screwed up and killed whatever it was! Might as drag myself out and live with all those commoners then! Cause that's what I apparently am!_

Giggling, as if her mind had finally cracked, Louise barely noticed the gentle and supporting hand of Professor Colbert upon her shoulder. Her own tears prevented her from seeing all the other students jeering and taunting her. Thoughts of redemption were replaced with despair.

"DAMN IT!"

Heedless of what others would think, the now depressed and angry teenage girl, decided to try once more. Not even bothering with the proper procedure, Louise pointed vehemently at the remains of her summoning circle; reputation be damned because she would not go down without a fight. Ignorant of the snickers coming from her classmates, the feeling she got from trying the summoning ritual her own way felt very, cathartic.

"I, Louise de la Valierre, noble-born daughter of our Founder Brimir, will call upon you from whatever forsaken place that you come from to serve me until death. Whether you are a dog of war or a wise and graceful being, I don't care, but you will heed my call and become my familiar. Heavens be damned; NOW SUMMON!"

The resulting explosion was quite satisfying, even if it knocked everyone down on their feet. What came afterwards though, was even more surprising. Louise herself could not fathom what she had done.

Louise the Zero didn't summon one familiar. She summoned _two_.

* * *

Hey all, glad to be back...In case any of you are wondering why exactly there has been little to no...ok zero progress onto Halo:Vereor Nex for the last two years; the truth is my co-writer sort of ditched me. So, while I have been able to create multiple drafts for future/later chapters, the overall feeling of having it work as an actual military unit and what not, would have been lost had I continued to post what I had. Still, if there are any actual military personnel (active or retired) willing to help out in the editing/writing process, I am perfectly fine with restarting the series up again with the new-found help.

Nonetheless, I have worked on other projects in the mean time, some of the stuff you can find in the Vast Empire verse under the pen name Kilroy, which I've worked with the last year or so; currently taking a break on it due to work and what-not, great group of people to work with in terms of group stories...You can find some good posts there where' I've been able to flesh out my own personal 'avatar/OC' for myself, whom I've started to use in any story. This OC is none other than the one known as John 'Kilroy' Varl. He is essentially based off of my own characteristics and thought patterns to a degree, barring the difference in backgrounds.

I've been tempted to do a ZnT cross-over for a while, thumbing through ideas similar to Vereor Nex, but on a smaller scale and with less military personnel to focus upon. Now considering the fact that I'm a huge fan of Star Wars, and have my own set of TK/stormtrooper armor as well as working on a set of TX/storm commando/shadow scout (WIP - 90%), I figured why the hell not? And so, we follow the adventures of one Imp, one Jedi, and our inept...err floundering pink haired witch...I mean mage. Comments and criticisms are much appreciated here.


	2. From a certain point of view

"_From one to another, why would you continue to support it [The Empire}, when you know that it has no qualms about destroying entire civilizations at the drop of a hat? Why them instead those other factions you've mentioned?"_

"_Because unlike you, no offense, there are a hundred different threats out there that would freeze your blood if you knew about them. The Empire of the Hand was created to protect others from such threats; some of which I've gone up against, Mr. Colbert."_

* * *

_Well now, this is new. Not to mention completely unexpected._ Professor Colbert thought as he glanced warily towards the summoning circle. In all his years, both as a teacher and soldier, Jean had never seen something like this occur. While he had heard stories about multiple familiars being summoned at the same time, the likely-hood of those were far and few between. This particular summoning however had two very likely outcomes according to everything that the balding professor knew. Both of them spelt bad news for his now aghast student.

"M-m-Mr Colbert, um...What should I do? Do I continue with the ritual or can I redo it?"

"Unfortunately you can't perform the summoning ritual again since it's against the rules. However…"

Hopefully giving to helpful advice to his beleaguered student, the rusted instincts of the retired soldier began to kick in. The stench of burnt flesh and sight of blood was something that Professor Colbert was all to used to. He could only hope that is concerns proved to be untrue.

* * *

After hearing what her professor had to say, Louise couldn't help but lament over her own misfortune. Not only did she screw up on her summoning twice, but she ended up with two human beings. _Might as well get this over with, but which one to go for?_ She thought as she sat down near the destroyed ritual circle.

Bending down over the one closest to her, she began to take stock of the robed girl before her. Asides from the strange metallic cylinder on her waist and some very unsightly blood coming from a precarious position, all Louise could think of was that such a person was nothing more than a mere, if not distressed servant girl. It was embarrassing enough that she summoned such a mere commoner to be her familiar, but the other person only deepened her misgivings.

As she looked at her other summon, various thoughts of diplomatic disaster ran through the young girls mind. Clad in black armor and carrying what appeared to be some sort of musket, all that Louise could think of was that this particular person had to be a noble-born or a knight. The outcome of choosing him as her familiar would definitely make her mother's head roll. _Although the fact he has no current liege might make things easier_ _to explain._

Unsure of who, or what to choose, the young mage couldn't help but wonder if there was some way to settle things in a simple manner. Her thoughts were quickly interrupted when the robed girl in front of her stirred to life. Surprised when the commoner began to joyously cry out in relief, Louise was even more shocked when the strange girl kissed her.

_On the lips of all things._

Completely astounded over what happened, Louise barely noticed her new-found affectionate partner back up as magical runes were etched onto her hand. Almost unnoticeable by an untrained eye, the runes were all anyone needed to confirm that the strange girl was now the familiar of Zero.

"Despite your earlier failures, you did a successful contract ritual in one attempt, not bad at all Miss Vallière."

* * *

_I don't know what's going on, but thank the Force I was able to escape that place!_ Jedi Knight Mira Wraith thought as she began to familiarize herself with her new surroundings. Taking in a breath of fresh and clean air, the red-headed and Force-sensitive girl sighed with a mixture of relief and sadness. It wasn't long before recent events began to crash down onto her weary and exhausted state.

Looking at her hand, Mira began to study the unfamiliar markings upon it as a warm, yet pleasant feeling washed over her. Unable to place what it was exactly, she was nonetheless surprised when she was able to understand her new-found acquaintances. The concern they shown for her though was a bit unsettling though.

"Let me do the talking Miss Vallière, we don't want to startle her now. Ehm, excuse me miss, but are you alright?"

Looking at the middle aged man before her, Mira couldn't help but smile, heedless of the fact that the blood on her robes would be a major cause of concern.

"Of course I am! Why do you ask?"

"Well, considering the fact that you, ahem, have a rather unsightly appearance, my students and I were worried that your…friend…was the cause of your predicament."

"My friend? Oh yeah you could say that it's all his fault for what has happened, but…wait….where'd he go?"

Pointing towards were she last saw her Imperial counterpart, the Jedi Knight couldn't help but wonder where exactly the commando could have gone. As far as she could remember, mere seconds before they both were knocked into the green portal, courteously of yours truly pushing her in front of him, was him taking the brunt effects of a blast when one of the ships in orbit fired danger close to their position and effectively knocked him unconscious. Now, her former kidnapper and now savior was nowhere to be seen. That was until Mira heard a slight yelp from one of the students; the pink haired girl now hostage of what was a very understandably pissed off Imperial commando.

_Oh shunfa._

* * *

"Put your hands up where I can see them, and don't move. One wrong step and I blast this girls head off.", Sergeant John Varl coldly stated as he put his pistol next to his captive's head. Despite the rumors that would later spread from this incident, the battle hardened soldier was particularly averse to holding a non-combatant as a hostage; nothing good usually came from doing such a thing. However, considering what had just happened to him, and the fact that the first thing to occur in this strange world was quite painful, John couldn't help revert to the basic principles of staying alive and operational._ By the Emperor, where the hell am I?_ He thought, shifting his stance slightly when he noticed that those around him were not of the flesh mongering sort.

"Where am I? What is this place? Where is the nearest Imperial base?"

"Tristain Academy of Magic, in the land of Halkegina. And what exactly are you talking about? What Imperial base?"

"The nearest military base under the command of either the Galactic Empire or Empire of the Hand. Where is it?"

"What's this, Galactic Empire, you speak of?"

"What."

"Sergeant, if I may, but I don't think we are, relatively speaking, in Imperial or Republic held space anymore. After all, have you heard of this so called, magic, before?"

_What? No, it can't be, you can't be serious. _Releasing his grip on the girl, the Imperial Commando was at a complete loss over what to do. As he fell to his knees, the shock of being stranded on some uncharted planet with no way to contact his allies overcame him. Combined with the physical strain and fatigue on his body from fighting days on end with no sleep, the last thing he saw before slamming head first into a wall was that of a blue haired girl standing next to a rather funny looking condor dragon.

_Shavit._

* * *

If anyone asks, not really going to make these stories up to the standards of my VE or H:VN stories. Since this will be more of a regularly updated series, hopefully one or two per week, the length of these stories I'm going to keep within 700-1500 words each. VE stories tend to be around 700 words IIRC, maybe slightly more, but they tend to be better in terms of characterization and quality since I've been on those for a while. Maybe once I get things rolling the quality of this story will pick up as well, or rather run a bit smoother as characters flesh themselves out.


	3. Not my master

"_Ours is not to ask why things happen, Louise. The Force acts in many ways, and it is our journey in life, to seek out and answer its call, no matter how hard it can be. For example, it is not mine to ask how or why you summoned us here, only that I act as an advisor and hopefully the Imperial as your guardian."_

"_What in the Founder's name is the Force?"_

* * *

"John Varl, Sergeant, Imperial Army, TX-8981, age 24…."

John stated when he noticed the slot on his cell door open once again. For the last few hours, the Imperial had repeated that line verbatim whenever any of the guards tried to talk to him; even if it was to see if he was still alive. For John, it didn't matter who, or what, these people wanted from him, he was still a loyal servant of the Empire and was not going to give these primitives the satisfaction of getting anything from him. Hell, their idea of running a prison was in many ways, quite laughable.

Despite this, and the fact that John had multiple chances to escape due to his superior training, he did not make any attempts whatsoever. In truth, the first thing that came across the storm commando's mind when he regained consciousness was to analyze recent events. The results of his analysis proved to be quite unsettling, and no matter how many angles John looked at it, he couldn't find a way to complete his mission with the information on hand. So, he concluded that it would be best for him to bide his time and make his attempts to return to Imperial held territory at a later time. _Hell might as well make this place pro-Empire while I'm at it. Now there's a thought._

"Sergeant Varl is it?"

"Yes."

"Against my better decisions, both your acquaintance as well as my student argued on your behalf, you are hereby granted your freedom. You are allowed to walk amongst the campus freely; however, anywhere outside of the academy you will have an escort to go with you. Do you understand what I am saying?"

…_._

"Sergeant Varl?"

"John Varl, Sergeant, Imperi-"

"Oh for the love of….No…you don't seem to be that type. Here as a gesture of good faith, I'm going to release you and take you groundside myself."

Despite the honesty and conviction that this current guard had, John was nonetheless surprised that the person who entered his cell was the very professor he encountered earlier. Looking at the balding man and what he currently held, the hardened Imperial couldn't help but laugh over the entire scenario that was occurring. The humor of the situation was not mutual, as his 'accomplice' was wearing a rather…tired…look to his face; a look that he was all too familiar with. It wasn't before one of them finally addressed the simmering conflict that was occurring between the two.

"Let's get some things straight now, since it looks like you'll be staying here for a long time. Regardless of what the girls and headmaster claim, I still don't trust you. Especially after that stunt you pulled earlier with one of my students."

"I apologize for that, it was rather unbecoming of me, and I have no intention of repeating such an act in the future."

"What about your incident involving Miss Wraith? Those blood stains on her clothes and your armor had to come from somewhere. I find it very hard to believe you as a stellar figure for her, considering where some of the cleaning staff found the blood goi-"

Hearing enough of this professor's misconceptions of him, John began to caress his forehead, a feat practically impossible to do with his helmet still on. While he could understand the man's justifiable concern for his students, to claim that the commando would be that immoral was beyond reason. Staring at his counterpart, visor to face, the Imperial provided the slightly paranoid man with a rather blunt statement of his own. This was something that he could not, nor would not, let slide.

"Professor, with all due respect, I am a professional soldier; your implication that I would stoop so low is both ridiculous and highly insulting as I would never tarnish the Empire's honor with such depravity. Next time you insinuate against me like that and you will regret it. Are we clear?"

"Yes, for now….In the mean time, you should probably head off to meet Miss Wraith and Vallière. They are in the highest room in this tower here. Won't be head to miss, and the door should be open still."

Nodding in acknowledgement, John began his inevitable climb up the tower, the thought of making others wait for him seemed to be rather petty. Overall, his trip up the stairs proved to be rather uninteresting, with the only exception being that of what appeared to be a blonde haired boy trying to charm a slightly younger girl. Idly, the Imperial mused what it would be like to relive the younger days before such thoughts were quickly crushed by hellish memories of past events. _Yeah, definitely do not want to experience that place again. Shunfa, I still have nightmares about it._

* * *

"So, let me get this straight. You are not a commoner, but a Jedi Knight, which in many ways is the equivalent of a mage, correct?"

"From a certain point of view, yes, that is correct."

"And the man that held me up earlier is not a knight or a noble-born, but merely a rank-and-file soldier with no special abilities whatsoever, yes?"

"The part about him not being a knight is correct, although I don't know him well enough to confirm if he is a noble or not. As for him being a mere trooper? I think it be best that you did not say that in front of his face. Considering the fact that there is no equivalent of his kind here from what you've told me that is."

Sighing, Louise unceremoniously fell flat onto her bed as her previous conceptions of what she had summoned this afternoon went straight out the window. While she was quite thankful that the Jedi, mage, or whatever, was quite forgiving about being her familiar, the fact that she still somehow summoned the equivalent of a noble was a cause for concern. _This, Imperial, on the other hand, I will have to discipline the first chance I get._ The pink haired girl thought, coming to the conclusion that she would have to ensure that the other person she summoned knew his place.

As she contemplated over this, Louise couldn't help but flinch slightly in terror when the commando announced his presence. Startled over how she never even saw, let alone heard the man entering, the young girl quickly jumped at the chance to confirm her status over the arrogant trooper. A small smile crept upon her face as confidence slowly came to the young mage.

"Mister Va-"

"Sergeant Varl, I work for a living now."

"Whatever, Sergeant Varl, you did a rather mean thing to me earlier today. Holding me hostage like that."

"Yeah, sorry about that, won't happen again."

"Apology accepted, however, the fact of the matter is, you raised your hand against your master and threatened me as well. For that you need to be punished. Thirty lashes should do the trick."

"Oh? And what makes you think that you're my master? You're nothing but a spoiled child in my eyes."

"H-H-How dare you call me that! You are my familiar and I am your master, therefore you need to be punished!"

"I'd like to see you try, brat."

"Sixty! Sixty lashes and I'll withhold your supper if you continue to defy me! Now remove your top so I, your master, can discipline you!"

Unaware of the disapproving look the Jedi Knight was giving her, Louise was quite satisfied when the Imperial relented to her demands. Her smug thoughts of superiority were removed slowly but surely as the man gradually donned off his blood encrusted armor; the dull thump each plate made seemed to carry more weight she expected them to have as they fell across the floor. Soon, the confidence she once thought she had transformed into horror; the young noble became sick to her stomach at the sight before her.

It was something neither girl could have expected to see, both of the sheltered to the horrors of the universe in their own respective ways. Standing before them, was the product of one of the harshest programs the Imperial Military had to offer; a unit that had a combat reputation so ferocious that it exceeded that of the more ruthless and well-known storm trooper divisions. Barely visible, thanks to advanced medical technology, were several scars that ran across the storm commando's upper body; the ones caused by genetic and biological enhancements were indistinguishable from those earned in combat. The fact that the man would willingly put himself through it all was almost too much for either of them.

"Now listen here, and listen well, for I won't say it again. You are not my master and I am not your glorified pet. I don't care what you think of me but I am first and foremost a soldier of the Empire of the Hand; the only ones that can order me around are my commanding officer or those with higher rank. I didn't put myself though hell over and over again, or the last week fighting for my life without any sleep to be bossed around by a mere civilian teenage girl who knows jack shavit about warfare. I may grant your requests from time to time, but I am not your servant, nor will I act like one. Understood?"

"Yes…sir?"

"Good, now you had a question for me?"

"Could you…could you wash my clothes for me?"

* * *

_What. What did she just ask me? Does she think I'm some sort of cleaning droid?_

Groaning mentally, John could not help but lament over the poor choice of words that his newfound partner had choose to use. Even worse, was when the Jedi Knight Mira began to laugh uncontrollably, regardless of the fact she was making a spectacle of herself. As the gears in his mind screeched to a halt, the hardened veteran was unable to fathom a proper response. Amusingly enough, and apparently taking cue from the stupefied look on his face, the upstart of a Jedi mockingly waved her hand around as if she was using a Jedi Mind Trick. Why he started to play along with it completely flew over his head.

"You will wash the girl's clothes for her."

"I will wash the girl's clothes for her."

"You will get them back to her before morning."

"I will get them back to her before morning."

"Hehehe…You will sing the lyr-"

"NOPE!"

"B-but-"

"Taking clothes now….Byyyyyeeeeee!"

* * *

I have no clue why, but this seemed incredibly funny when I first came up with the idea and I just had to write it down. Was reading Unfamiliar (which is a great cross-over done by Cpl Facehugger by the way) when it sprang into my mind for a the relationship between the trio. As you can tell, Varl displays all the qualities of a loyal Imperial citizen and wont take jack from those who have yet to experience war like he has. Mira on the otherhand, takes a more advisorial role more fitting for a member of the Jedi Order. Louise, of course, will still be the prideful pink haired girl we all know and love/hate for the time being; however as the story goes on and her new found allies continue to grow upon her, she will being to take on different traits from them. Up next, Maid meets Commando! Hilarity ensures as the Zero takes a Jedi to class! Will the two-timer be humbled by the Jedi or will he be hazed mercilessly? Find out next time on Freakazoid!

I miss that show.


	4. Apple?

"_Isn't it nice to see such a majestic creature out here in the unknown? Such beauty, so humble, and yet so powerful in its own right; it's no wonder that the horse was able to find a home in this strange land. Don't you think the same?"_

"_You're giving human values to a creature that only has the desire to eat, sleep, procreate, and any other basic instincts that will allow it to survive. Chances are it's the product of several generations of breeding; what better way than a thoroughbred to serve those that have made nature adapt to them? You see the anthropomorphism of ideals; I see nature for what it really is. So fuck your little pony."_

* * *

_What is it about those runes that concern me so much? What is the meaning behind them?_

Deep within the bowels of the Academy's library, Professor Colbert sighed as yet another book he had hoped to hold the answers, turned out to be inconclusive. Tossing the book amidst a pile filled with similar results, the experienced mage could not help but be frustrated over his lack of success. The only consolation he had from this particular quest for knowledge was the fact that the oil lamp beside him, a self-lighting device which contained no magic properties whatsoever, successfully proved itself as a technological marvel. Although a powerful fire-mage in his own right, Jean held a particular fondness for mechanical devices. Whether it was a mere child's toy or complex machinery, he had always been curious towards their inner workings, even if a vast majority of the noble populace considered such things to be strange and just a commoner fad. _If only they could see the potential of such creations and not be blinded from their magic._

He also had the tendency to get quite distracted when thinking about his mechanical fancies. It was an eccentricity that did not go unnoticed by fellow nobles, much to their chagrin as they had found out. Very few people that Colbert knew were willing or interested in him enough to put up with that particular trait of his.

"Looking for this?"

"What? Ah, yes. Thank you Miss Longueville."

"My pleasure and I can think of what you owe me later."

_Your pleasure indeed and mine as well my fair lady. _Colbert thought, smiling inwardly when he saw the figure of the headmaster's new secretary approach him. Although he had first thought Headmaster Osmond had brought her purely for eye candy, Jean's first impression of the young women were quite easily confirmed later on to be false; something that he learned on a more...personal…level than the rest of the staff. Carefully taking the very ancient book from Miss Longueville's hands, he couldn't help but resist the temptation to give in to the secretary's charm. No matter how much the Flame Snake would try denying the fact that he wanted to get in to that particular set of pants, the carefree attitude of the young secretary would often send his survival instincts off as if something was wrong.

_Then again, it has been ages since I was in the company of a woman, barring Karin the Heavy Wind of course. Still have to figure out how Miss Longueville was able to get her hair to look like that. Is it green naturally or just an effect that occurs from the light? _

"Mr. Colbert, if you continue staring at me like that, I'll begin to have doubts about sending the maid away with that bucket of hers that was filled with water. Course, not that I mind being the focus of your affection that is."

Embarrassed, and mentally kicking himself for losing his mental edge, Professor Colbert hastily opened the book, hoping to prevent himself from being distracted yet again. Flipping through several pages which contained interesting, but nonsensical and not vital information, the determined professor of the arcane sighed in relief when he had found the answers that would satiate his relentless curiosity. Barely aware of the fact that Miss Longueville was standing over him, breast placed with quite the strategic positioning, Jean began to examine the ancient text. Perhaps because of his own excitement, or the fact that she helped him in the quest for knowledge, Jean didn't care that about sharing out loud the information.

"Runes of Gandalfr….Gandalfr, that's it. That's what it is. The Left Hand of God, Brimir's Shield, Agent of the Unseen Force; summoned by Brimir to defend him as he unleashed his mightiest magics. Capable of slaughtering a thousand men alone. Proficient with any weapon it can lay its hands on and adept in the knowledge of the arcane in its own right."

"Most intriguing, wouldn't you say?"

"I find it more intriguing that you're skilled at keeping your emotions in check despite all this. You have to be more than just an orphaned daughter of a disposed noble from Albion, what with that level of control. You have to be some sort of spy if I do say so myself."

"Hmmm, from a certain point of view you could say that. But I'm much, much, better at stealing things with physical value."

Hearing her truly giggle, something he has never seen her do before, Jean couldn't help but blush.

* * *

_Elsewhere_

_Such a pleasant night, if only my family could enjoy the night like this._

Walking down the moonlit courtyard, the eighteen year old maid known as Siesta couldn't help but feel a mixture of relief and concern. Although thankful for the fact that none of the nobles here, even if they were students, had so far not made any 'requests' of her due to her highly attractive and natural beauty, she was nonetheless worried about her family back home. Despite the fact that she had taken this position to earn money her family desperately needed, Siesta would often wonder if that was the right decision; even if one of her reasons to staying at the academy was to fulfill her own dreams as well. The increasing rumors about what Lord Mott was doing in his vassal territories only compounded her unease. It was only the sight of Miss Vallière's familiar, or rather one of them at least, did the black haired maid's attention shift elsewhere; the fact that he wore something quite familiar to the outfits some of her ancestors supposedly had worn provided her an opportunity she could not pass up.

The fact that he was having a hard time cleaning both his armor and what looked like that noble girl's spare undergarments only furthered the young maid's curiosity.

"A Shadow of Thrawn, reduced to a mere Laundromat. Oh how the mighty have fallen in this day and age! Is this soap even working on my gear?"

"Sir, if I may-"

"What now?! Can't you see I'm busy here? You probably don't even have a clue as to what I'm doing here now, don't you?"

Undeterred by the man's outburst, Siesta hardened her resolve, a considerable feat considering that her knees were shaking at the moment.

"Sir, if I may suggest, but wouldn't it be easier to get the job done with two people; perhaps with better lighting as well so that you would ah, well, be able to see the results?"

"Ya don't say? How exactly do you propose that?"

"Well…"

As she began to list down several various options to the frustrated man, Siesta soon started to get the feeling that her acquaintance was either amused by all this, or just silently contemplating and deep in thought. Looking up, any doubts she had earlier were quickly cast away, her confidence solidified by a small and barely visible and approving smile appeared on the Imperial's face. As if there was some sort of unseen rapport between the two, the maid had no trouble finding a sense of, camaraderie of sorts, with her newfound friend.

* * *

By the time it took the Imperial and maid to discuss as well as enact their plan of action, Sergeant John Varl became quite reasonably impressed with the young lady and respected the initiative that she displayed. With a quick lesson about the basic maintenance procedure, providing the maid with only the information required on how to clean and nothing more, the commando silently approved the attention she paid to the little details. _This Siesta certainly knows her stuff, I'll give her that. _He thought, allowing himself to see a beneficial relationship occurring between the two. The fact she was willing to help him in cleaning that harpy's clothes without complaint only helped to confirm that particular mindset.

"Forgive me if I'm wrong, but….you aren't exactly from here, are you?"

"You could say that."

"Is that so? Can you tell me about it? What's it like?"

Chuckling to himself, John was quite comfortable about talking about his home, as they were some of the few pleasant memories he still had that weren't drowned out by more recent and haunting events. Leaving out the parts about space flight and droids being a common aspect of his life, the commando was still able to provide his young friend with a rather interesting story. In return, the inquisitive nature that Siesta showed him turned out to be quite refreshing. The conversation between the two was in many ways, something that they both needed. Hell, he didn't mind it at all when she asked him about the blue men or if Ewoks really were soulless teddy bears that should be killed with fire like some of her ancestors had claimed before she went off to bed.

_Wait._

_What?_

Without knowing where exactly the maid had gone off to, and in dire need of some sleep himself, John was at a complete loss over that had just occurred. In the coming days, a single thought would be going through his mind as the Imperial's interest in this primitive world reached its peak. _How in the name of the Emperor's unholy lack of trousers did that maid know about Ewoks, let alone the Chiss?_

* * *

_That morning_

As the sun began to shine into Louise's room, the young mage quite unwillingly returned back from the dream world. Groggily waking up and getting out of bed, the young noble-girl did her best to shake off the last remnants of sleep. Since it was the day after summoning her two familiars, she had hoped to spend the time before class getting to know the two of them better. It was in her mind a great way to show off her nobility to them and quite possibly rub it into her classmates' faces as well.

_Oh to see the look on their faces._

Yawning slightly, Louise took a quick look around to make sure that her new company had not left in the dark of the night. Although she was demurred at the lack of the Imperial's presence, she was nonetheless pleased that the Jedi girl was still there. She found it odd though that she had never noticed the girl had a tail and ears resembling that of a wolf's before. Then again, the only reason she knew now was because the mage could see them clearly, considering the fact that the Jedi was floating in the air, presumably asleep and not wearing her hood like yesterday. _Wait. Floating. Air. Ears and Tail. Asleep. In the Air. Floating. _

_Apple?_

Louise never noticed the fact that she had wet herself before she started to scream in fright.

* * *

Guiche's beat down will occur in the next chapter, probably. In the mean time...can anyone guess to what Mira the Jedi is a shout out to?

Also: Apple?


	5. Grey and Grey Morality

"_What in the Founder's name made you decide to toss Mott into the fire like that? Have you gone daft Louise? Even if he was of the unsavory type, he was still one of ours!"_

"_Mom, calling him an unsavory fellow is the understatement o f the year. What that man did, what he's done, I can't even begin to describe what went on in that prison of his. Each and every one of us agreed that the bastard had it coming. Those people suffered long enough and truly deserved justice, so we gave it to them."_

* * *

"SHE'S AN ELF!"

Louise had yelled out at the top of her lungs, scrambling backwards into a corner of the room. She had every right to scream others would later say; the sight before her was something so unexpected and so surprising, that it would have been quite illogical for the girl not to. _Oh god, oh god what do I do?!_ She thought as her mind was nearly overwhelmed with terror. Everything that she knew about the Elvin folk, barring the more outlandish rumor, pointed to the fact that such people did not take kindly to having their own taken away in such a manner.

The young mage could see it in her mind's eye; the so-called Jedi waking up from her meditation, smiling as if she knew her freedom was at hand. The Jedi's allies would be merciless, slaughtering all those in their path when they came for their kin. The blame would fall solely on Louise, the one that summoned her in the first place.

"What's an [yawn] elf?"

As if roused by the now panic stricken girl's earlier scream, the red haired woman in front of her came out of her meditative state, sitting quite casually on the floor. The question the Jedi asked, one completely innocent and filled with curiosity, caught Louise completely off guard. After all, how was one supposed to tell an elf what an elf is, if the elf herself didn't know what an elf was to begin with? It was, in layman terms, a rather confusing scenario.

"W-wh-what do you mean what's an elf?! How can you not know what your own kind is, cause you're definitely not human, that's for sure!"

"Why do you say that?"

"WHY?! Can you name any human being that has ears like those? Let alone a tail?"

"Ears? Tail? What exactly are you going on about? Have you never seen a Fenrisian bef- Oh…..Oooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh…..I forgot about those."

_You_.

_Forgot._

_About your own tail and ears._

_Hoooowwwww?_

Taking this latest information into account, Louise couldn't help but wonder if this Mira person was trying to pull her leg or if this was something she truly did not take into account. Silence filled the room as the two girls sheepishly realized what had just occurred; both finding it difficult to end the awkwardness that came between them. In the end however, neither of them got the chance to make amends, as the door to the room was smashed open. Standing where the door once was, were Professor Colbert and the Imperial, both ready to inflict some serious punishment on an unseen enemy.

Crossing her legs, Louise began to wonder how exactly she was going to explain this one.

* * *

"So let me get this straight, the reason you screamed was because of a nightmare you were having and not because of her?"

"That is correct Professor Colbert. I'm sorry if I startled you and the others."

"Not at all, after all, I'm having a hard time getting around those ears myself. Most intriguing if I do say so myself."

"False alarm then, figures….I'm going back to sleep then; excluding the last few hours I've only gotten 12 hours of sleep in the past six days."

_Hmmm, what an interesting way to start the day. _Kirche Von Zerbst mused as she listened into the conversation that was occurring in her fellow classmate's room. Still dressed in her silky nightgown, having not had the chance to change, the busty young Germanian girl was quite literally one of the first people to be at the scene of the crime; a feat that was particularly easy considering the fact that her room was just a floor below. Heedless of any potential onlookers, who would most likely be distracted by the fire mage's rather revealing undergarments, she continued to eavesdrop onto what was going on in Louise the Zero's bedroom.

While Kirche was shocked that the flat-breasted classmate of hers had summoned two familiars like everyone else in the academy, she was more intrigued over the fact that they looked very much like the average commoner. _Granted, that black_ _knight of hers is a rather mysterious fellow, wearing that helmet of his all the time and not once making a sound._ She thought, biting her lip while contemplating over what to do. It was only the sounds of someone breathing right next to her did she focus her attention elsewhere; apparently someone she was very familiar with also had the same idea in mind.

"Tabitha….I need your brain!"

* * *

_Later_

The ever constant sound of breakfast chatter greeted the Jedi and her new acquaintance as they entered the dining hall. The sight of immaculately clean and refined details within the vaulted chamber was quite befitting for the prestigious Tristain Academy according to the various emotions that the Jedi Knight felt within its current occupants. Although Mira knew, based off of the confidence beaming from the younger girls face, that the Academy was the pride of her nation as well as a beacon of education, she still found it be rather distasteful. The fact that she knew what was going on didn't help matters much either.

"Excessive extravagance, don't you think?"

"Tristain Academy doesn't teach magic, it represents the crème de la crème of the Tristain nobility to the world."

"Not all of it that it represents is good, let alone to be proud about."

"There's a saying. "Nobility comes from magic." It means that to in order for one to be considered a noble, you have to have magic, see? That idea is the foundation over which we build our education. Thus, our dining halls have to be fit for a noble's status."

_Now where have I heard that line before?_ Mira frowned, knowing full well to what was going on in the young mage's mind. Despite the fact that it was probably too late remove such deeply ingrained mindset, perhaps she could at least temper the young girls way of thinking. Doing so shouldn't be too hard, she thought, having fully experienced the more subtle influences of the Force herself. After all, there was the saying, "Do or do not, there is no try," in her galaxy.

"Circular logic, I have magic therefore I am noble. I am noble because I can use that magic. There's nothing there Louise, just like how you're currently thinking that I am your familiar from summoning me and yet you know next to nothing about me."

"But you are my familiar; see those runes on your hand? Those mark you as my familiar; just like the ability to use magic marks me as a noble."

Sighing, the Fenrisian Jedi couldn't help but wonder how she could get the naïve girl to think differently. Her thoughts turned inward as she tried to formulate from the various lessons learned throughout the Jedi Order's history. _Of course, there are those that we learned the hard way._ Mira smiled, her tail deviously whipping around underneath her as a mental light turned on.

"Imagine an order; let's say a group of peace-keepers whose ranks largely consisted of mages, who have kept the peace in the lands for thousands of years. Now imagine that very group being wiped out to the point of extinction mercilessly by the very soldiers they once considered brothers in arms, turning the republic many have died for into a merciless empire which committed genocide on a regular basis. Which one do you think is filled with nobles?"

"Why the first of course, it's unthinkable that their comrades would do such a thing too! What a bunch of ungrateful commoners to kill the nobles that they serve."

"Now what if I told you that the very group you think is noble, allowed slavery to occur for thousands of years in many parts of their civilization? What if I told you that they filled their ranks by taking, sometimes even kidnapping their recruits, when they are nothing more than infants? On the other hand, that empire, in a matter of decades reduced the amount of slavery occurring to crime lords, a few pirate gangs, and occasionally, in covert construction operations which only a few select knew about. Not only that, but despite the tyrannical dictator which ruled with an iron fist and genocidal tendencies, there was marked improvement for living standards for a very large part of the populace. Now which group do you think is noble?"

The somber glances Mira got from the young girl proved to be quite satisfying. Slowly but surely, it gave the Jedi hope that her new apprentice would be wiser from this little lesson. Still, it would help the Jedi to come up with a way to solve her own lack of knowledge within this land as she taught this particular girl as well.

* * *

Hookay, I wanted to originally include the beat down scene in this, but had a little writers block, and well, let's just say I'm trying to figure out the best way to bring on the nightmare fuel in on this...Here's how it will essentially go though in case anyone asks

[PTSD ENSUES! OUR LOCAL IMPERIAL IS TRYING TO SLEEP BUT HAS NIGHTMARES OF HIS LAST BATTLE WHEN GUICHE THE DUMBASS CHALLENGES HIM TO A DUEL AND WAKES HIM UP! IMP GOES INTO COMBAT MODE AND NEARLY KILLS THE DUMBASS BEFORE KNOCKING HIM OUT COLD! GUICHE ENDS UP IN HOSPITAL AND THERE WAS MUCH REJOICING AND DEADLY NEUROTOXINS!

I MEAN CAKE!

YAY!]


	6. Nightmare Induced Trauma

"_What's the difference between a veteran and a civvie?"_

"_A civvie thinks that his life is hell. A vet on the other hand, lives every day in hell."_

* * *

Sergeant John Varl was never one a person would call a heavy sleeper; at best he would usually get around 4-5 hours of continuous sleep before his own biology would get the better of him. However, even before being mobilized into the Imperial Army, untold horrors have always haunted him in slumber and had grown in number quite recently in the past few years. On a rare occasion, such as this one, he would find himself reliving old memories…

* * *

"Captain! There's too many of them! There's just too m-Aaaaaaauuuuuuuughhhhhhhhhh!"

_Damn it Roach! You should have pulled back when you were told!_ John thought, cursing as he watched one of his best friends get torn limb from limb via cross-com. It hit him hard, despite knowing that there was nothing that he could do, when he and the rest of Bravo One continued to run towards the extraction point. Although his friend had indeed bought them valuable time, the storm commando could not help but think that the man's death was in vain.

Still, the package was secure and in the squad's more than capable hands, that's all that really mattered now. As the now four man squad weaved through the desolate streets with their 'sensitive' entourage in tow, John couldn't help but wonder why exactly he could smell a mid summer breeze amidst all the smoke, the blood, and plasma fed fires. He was even more surprised when the wall next to him practically exploded after being hit by a wayward rock.

"You ingrate, defying a nobles invitation for an audience, I challenge you to a duel!"

Momentarily shaking his head, the storm commando was in utter disbelief of what stood before him. Clad like some nobleman from a cheap holo-film was this young blonde boy, pointing what appeared to be a stick. John would have laughed at the sight, seeing some half crazed twerp challenging a well-trained soldier serving under Thrawn's Empire of the Hand to a fight, if it wasn't for the fact that the world was all going to hell. Then he noticed what was surrounding the blonde kid, and such thoughts quickly went away.

As if they were under the little twerp's command, were four of the very things that had ripped Roach apart. Why they were clad in green didn't really matter to John. In truth, once they were given the command to attack, the storm commando knew exactly what he had to do. Not having a weapon on him was a trivial aspect considering the fact he was well versed in hand-to-hand combat.

The green clad drones, although studier than their more regular brethren, proved to be easy to deal with. By using their own momentum against them, and with a little brutality of his own, John found that they went down quite easily when they were missing the long blades they had attached to their hands. _Of course, dealing with the twerp should prove to be much easier. Still, this delay is unacceptable._ He mused, landing a solid punch to the gut. Not breaking stride, the storm commando quickly followed up with a very hard kick to the knee.

Heedless of the sharp cry of pain that came from his assailant's mouth, John finished his own counter attack with a swift and merciless uppercut to the jaw. He could almost feel the blood on his visor as it flowed freely from his now wounded prey. It didn't really surprise him that within seconds of the blonde haired kid ambush, who was quite possibly infected himself, that he had ruthlessly and quite literally, beaten the crap out of his would-be aggressor. All that was left really was to silence the kid as quick as possible before he cou-

"NOOOOOOOOOO! PLEASE! DON'T KILL HIM!"

Surprised, Sergeant John Varl quickly turned his head in the direction of where the voice came from, only to see a girl dive in front of him. Blinking, as if to regain his own senses, John couldn't help but feel disgusted over what he was seeing. In front of him and crying hysterically was apparently one of the girls that Professor Colbert had told John about during their walk back from that Louise kid's room. Slowly, as he realized just what had happened, did the storm commando finally take notice of what she was trying to free from his bloodied and firm grasp.

_You fething idiot._ John snarled, releasing his death hold over the now bloodied and broken Guiche De Gramont. Clenching his fists, John just stood over the two students before deciding it would be best to leave. After all, it wasn't often that death walked amongst the living like this.

* * *

If anyone can't tell by now, John Varl is suffering from PTSD and was having a major anxiety/panic attack induced from his PTSD. This is what I've been working on the last few weeks, and have literally asked several of my friends who are in the military, (I love the fact that they consider me in their ranks regardless of the fact I got DODMERB DQ'ed) for help on this matter. Although, as you can see from my Vereor Nex and VE stories, I do have rather good experience in military matters, harkening back to my time as a ROTC cadet and was able to learn firsthand with overall life as a serviceman, there are just some things I can't relate to, such as PTSD, simply because I don't have it. Anyways, I hope I made this particular chapter as unsettling as possible without drenching it too much with nightmare fuel. That comes later with Mott….Safe to say, if you've read the X-Wing series….when I say Lusankya, it should ring some bells.


	7. Lessons Learned

"_"Good men of good character are often forced to commit acts of evil."_

_-Unknown source, attributed to come from one of Brimir's advisor_

* * *

"Guiche, oh Guiche, please wake up. Open your eyes and come back to me. I promise I won't get angry at you again for flirting with other girls, just please wake up!"

"Miss Montmorency, would you kindly calm down for a moment? The healers have to continue their work and Mr. Gramont needs his rest. Rest assured, the moment he comes to, you will be the first to know. Now if you would kindly follow me."

"B-b-bu….."

"Come now, it's for the best."

"….Okay…"

Gently leading the distraught girl away from the medical ward within Tristain Academy, Professor Colbert couldn't help but feel remorse over what had recently transpired. Although he was surprised like the rest of the staff to see a student put into such a horrendous condition, that deep within his own mind, Jean knew that the young lad was lucky._ Still, I should have seen this coming; all the signs were there as well. _He thought, mentally kicking himself for not paying enough attention. If he did, Jean mulled, then perhaps he could have prevented today's incident and saved quite a few people from their current conditions as well.

However, despite this wishful thinking, Jean was able recognize that fact Guiche was the party at fault. As a military veteran himself, the renowned fire mage known as the Flame Snake was quite familiar with how that 'healthy' state of paranoia that front line soldiers tend to be in could very easily deteriorate if particular situations were forced upon them. So while a vast majority of those at Tristain Academy would not understand for quite some time, Professor Colbert knew that the reason why one of their students was practically comatose in the medical ward was because the boy foolishly attacked someone still in combat mode.

Hopefully, if people weren't already calling for the man's head, things would calm down in a few days with just the right amount of encouragement. All things considered, it would provide a very humbling lesson to everyone, one that will most likely not need a repeat in the future. The irony that Jean was about to defend someone that had previously held his student hostage was not lost to him.

* * *

_Oh God…..I am going to die for this._ Louise thought, having a hard time not fainting after her classmate came bawling at her over due to her boyfriends current condition. It was bad enough that one of the teachers came to her outside of class once already today, but to be called to the principal's office within hours was unthinkable. The entire time, she could hear hushed and terrified whispers of students in the hallway while both she walked with her other familiar towards Headmaster Osmond's domain.

_No, on second thought, referring to her as a familiar wouldn't be the right term._ She mulled, thinking about the brief, yet provocative lecture the young girl was given during breakfast. Considering the fact that at best, Miss Wraith would be the equivalent of a mage, it would be better to regard the Jedi as an equal, maybe even a mentor of sorts. As for the other, well, Louise honestly didn't know what to think of the man, but calling him a familiar or servant again would most likely be a very bad idea.

"Be at peace young one, despite all that has happened, there is nothing to worry about."

"Easy for you to say, you're not the one that is going to be punished for having your uhmmm…uh…..guardian…if he could be seen as that, for going axe crazy and nearly murdering an innoce-ok not so innocent student. I mean, how could Mr Varl do such a thing?"

"I concede to that, but then again, could have been worse."

"Define worse."

"Oh probably along the lines of killing everyone within a 5 mile radius in a blood frenzy before being brought down by a battalion of well trained sold-Oh wait that's what my people do."

"Hardy har har, I feel better already."

"In all honesty, in the short amount of time that I've known Sergeant Varl, I've probably only seen a mere fraction of what he's capable of. The breed he comes from is unlike any other Imperial stock you can come across, because they are not only ruthless and merciless, but highly intelligent and devoted to their cause as well. No insult intended, but a shadow scout fresh out of his programs training, could easily best several of your most powerful mages. Hell, even the normal ones have the training and capability to take down a Jedi, and that's been proven several times over."

_Oh goodie, so not only do I have a half crazed lunatic running around because of me, but a half crazed lunatic that could very easily create his own little empire as well. Greeeeaaaaat!_

Sighing, Louise cast aside such thoughts when she gently knocked on the ancient oak door that led into the principal's office. The subtle shift in tone coming from Headmaster Osmond was none to pleasing as he invited the two into his little kingdom. The fact that Professor Colbert, Miss Longeville, and the academy chef were in the room as well was most discerning. Although, why the chef of all people was there, Louise hadn't the foggiest idea…..as a matter of fact, why was the chef there as well?

"Miss Vallière, before you say anything, I would like to tell you what the presiding council as concluded in our discussions about this matter."

_Here it comes._

"First, after careful review over the incident, having testimonies from several witnesses as well, we have all agreed that Guiche De Gramont is the party at fault here. Second, at the behest of Mr. Colbert, whom for reasons currently disclosed at this time has the most up to date knowledge with such matters, I have decided that while it is highly unfortunate that Mr. Gramont had to receive such vicious punishments, that it would be unwise and inconsiderate to punish you for the actions of two men; therefore there will not be anything on your record or going to your family about this matter."

"I….thank you sir."

"Not done yet, however, despite this, let this be a lesson to you; because you have summoned such a man, it is your responsibility to ensure the wellbeing of all those around you from now on. While I'm not telling you to make him your servant, cause we all know that is a royally fuc- I mean highly inadvisable idea, you should nonetheless give him a clear and precise set rules of engagement or maybe a good place to sleep where people can't disturb him. Lastly, because of all that is happened, and since the day of Void is tomorrow, I suggest you use this time to go to the capitol, shop or whatever you girls tend to do these days, and let things calm down a bit. Hell, I think it be a great opportunity to get Miss Wraith some experience with our ways as well."

"I think you for your wise and generous decisions on this matter, and it is regrettable that such an incident occurred here. If I may be as so bold to ask, but would it be alright for me to apply some of my own skills in the recovery of your student's health? I'm quite skilled in the art of healing myself."

_Since when did you become a water mage, you crazy lady with tails and ears?_ Louise thought, staring intently at her quasi-mentor figure with a hint of skepticism in her eyes. Not being an elf was one thing, but one would have to be at least a triangle mage and versed in the human body to become a healer in the first place. _This get's crazier and crazier by the hour._

"Hmm, while I am grateful for your offer of assistance, I think it would be best for you not to do so at this current state of affairs. Moreover, our chef-in-command has advised me that there is a chance you could cause quite the uproar if you or your counterpart got anywhere near the medical facilities. I'm sure you understand where I am going at."

"Quite so sir."

"Heh, besides, I don't suppose you know how to replace kidney's or a liver by any chance, yes? Turns out your friend packs quite the punch, what with being able to impale someone like that."

* * *

SHOPPING! Comes later...and where our Imperial is will be seen in the next chapter...


	8. Nectar of the Gods

"_Why in the Founder's name would you jump off a perfectly good dragon?!_

_-Kirche von Zerbst to an unknown party_

* * *

Solis Ortus, capital city of Tristian, was one of the most renowned cities within the land. Home to both the royal family as well as 200,000 citizens, both noble and commoner, it was also one of the most populous as well. Occasionally, and most frequently, due to high level of fine architecture and craftsmanship found within, it was also known as "The Inland Jewel" to the more affluent of parties. It was no wonder that many would often think of it as the envy of civilized society.

"Huh….And here I thought it be bigger."

"Seriously, you were silent for the entire trip here and the first thing that comes to mind is: thought it be bigger?"

"What? Can you blame me? I mean where I come from there's a city that spans an entire planet."

"Yeah, that's….a lotta mouths to feed."

_Ohhh you have no idea how bad that place has it._ Mira thought, amused at the direction the current conversation went. It was true, that until the pair had arrived at the capital, Mira had remained rather silent as she took in her new surroundings. Truth be told, it was hard not to be amazed at just how clean and sparsely populated this place was in comparison to her home world. The best part of all was there wasn't a burning building or a pile of corpses to see for miles upon miles. _Oh, I could get used to this._

Oddly enough, despite the differences in technology and stage of civilization, some things apparently never changed where ever you went. All along the streets, she saw, were people milling about bartering, buying, and trading all sorts of wares and food. As if responding to the smell of food, even of strange origins, Mira's stomach started to growl quite readily. Embarrassed, she bit her lip, hoping that her younger friend wouldn't notice; which was rather hard to do considering how loud it was.

"Hungry?"

"You could say that."

"Wanna apple?"

"Uhh, sure I guess…never heard of one before."

"They're pretty good; here, try one."

Looking over the reddish-green fruit, Mira was rather skeptical over how well it would actually taste. Sniffing it to make sure it was at least edible for her kind; she relaxed a bit when it seemed that no harm would come from having one. Idly, as the Jedi wondered what exactly an apple's flavor was as she bit into the -

_OH SWEET DELICIOUS NECTAR OF THE GODS!_

* * *

_Is she…..drooling?_ Louise thought, dumbstruck over the idea that someone, even if they weren't human, would become that fervent over a mere apple. If it wasn't for the fact that the young mage could even hear the Fenrisian….Jedi….wolf girl's tail whipping back and forth excitedly, she would have thought that someone was pulling her leg. In a way it was quite peculiar, seeing calm and collected Jedi be so fixated and all-glory-to-the-hypno-toad, to the extent that it was practically hilarious.

"I think I know how to bribe you now." Louise giggled, trying her hardest to keep a straight face.

"Bribe me all you want, these things are full of sweet temptation! Galactic Spirit, if Lord Palpy had some of these around, I would have gladly joined his side! ALL HAIL THE DELICIOUS APPLE!"

"Oh Brimir, stop! I can't breathe!"

Completely doubled over from laughter, Louise noticed that her once sour mood had transformed itself fully into a bundle of amusement. It was a relief, to know that at least one of her partners wasn't a merciless monster that had no sense of humor. All things considered, it most certainly helped the prospects of finding them some stuff so that they would be less conspicuous.

After the young mage's fit of laughter ended, Louise couldn't help but feel drawn to a particular store. As she looked at the sign above the door, a sword,shield, and musket emblem to be exact, the teenage girl decided that this would be a decent place to start their shopping spree at. _Not to mention the fact that I could possibly get something to maybe...entice the Imperial to have a warmer relationship as well._ She mused as she entered the store.

* * *

_Tristain Academy, Commoner's Lounge_

_Hmmm, this soup tastes delicious._

Taking a sip of Chef Dorden's latest batch of beef stew, Siesta was startled when a hand firmly grasped her shoulder. Looking over her shoulder, she sighed in relief to see that it was none other than the gentle giant himself. The grin that Chef Dorden always seemed to have was a constant source of reassurance for the young maid. After all that has happened in her life recently, to have a fatherly figure like him around whenever troubled was a comfort in its own; especially at a time like this.

"Oh, hello Dorden, how've you been? Your soup tastes, better than usual for some reason."

"Hmm, yeah you could say that. I mean it's not every day you get to meet someone willing to go toe to toe with a noble and come out unscathed. I figure it would be nice to let the guy have a nice meal when he wakes up from his nap. I mean he is 'Our Sword' after all."

"Hehe, yes, you could say that. Although…..I wish there was someone like him in my hometown of Tarbes. It's been too long since I've heard anything from my family."

"We'll figure something out."

_Yes….I hope that we do figure something out before it's too late._ She thought, worried about her family and friends back home. Sighing gently, Siesta decided that it would be best for her to take a break for the time being. After all, since a majority of the students where away, the least she could do was stop thinking about such things and enjoy her time for a while. Then, after all that, perhaps she might go check up on her 'Imperial Sword'…. Just in case.

* * *

Yeah I have no clue what exactly the girls are gonna go shopping for...outside of a few particular items... Next chapter will be the debut of the Legendary Sword himself...HK-4...I mean Derflinger!

Until next time. see y'all around.


	9. What has been seen can not be unseen

"_Oh come on, it can't be that ba-I stand corrected….that was awesome. Let's never do that again."_

_-unknown party, overheard coming out of Colbert's Workshop_

* * *

_THUNK!_

"Urrrrgggghh….Note to self, low bridge."

Grasping the sides of his helmet, Sergeant John Varl was given a rather, elegant reminder, of where exactly is current position was. _Why is it that these buckets make incoming lethal projectiles not so fatal, but make an accidental hit the head be so painful? Is it karma?_ He thought, manually adjusting the polarization of his helmet's lens from standby to active. As his vision returned to normal, including the enhancements from his HUD, the Imperial idly wondered as to why the developers never included a 'sleep mode' as a visual mode; such a feature would certainly make taking naps in full armor that much easier without having to worry about reactivating everything.

Yawning, the Imperial carefully got out of the bed which had been hastily set up for him by some of the staff of the so called academy of magic. Grateful for their generosity, not to mention supportive demeanor, John made a silent mental note to thank those that had so recently looked after his well-being. All things considered, he was more than surprised when the staff welcomed him with open arms instead of lynching him after what happened; their promise of a warm bed and food had proven to be the start of what the chef claimed as a beautiful relationship. _Definitely need to find out about conditions these people are living under, see if I can shake things up a little cause it's not a good sign when the locals let one of their own get thrashed like that. _He contemplated, curious as to just how bad things were in this medieval society when he heard someone knock upon the door.

"Doors unlocked, you can come in."

"Thank you… How are you feeling Mr. Varl? Did you sleep well?"

"Very well thank you and I have to give my compliments to the owner of this bed as they have a fine mattress to sleep upon. Asides from hitting my head earlier, I am feeling quite refreshed."

"I see, that is good to hear then. Also, I accept your compliments, although that bed probably isn't as comfy as what most nobles tend to sleep on."

"Bah, to hell with maximum opulence, a nice bed like that is all you really need. On a side note, you're name was Siesta right? Never did get your full name the other day."

"Siesta Perone from the town of Tarbes, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance good sir."

"The pleasure is all mine…..I probably need to take a bath….don't I?"

"By the Founder yes you d- I mean why do you ask?"

Chuckling to himself as he looked upon the young maid's reaction, John had to admit that it probably was a good idea to get himself all cleaned up. Judging from the look on the girls face, the Imperial decided that sooner would be better than later. Dramatically pointing out the door, as if to emphasize some particular point, the storm commando couldn't help but grin over what he was about to say for the pun was too good to pass up.

"Direct me to thine ablution facilities so that I may give myself a refresher course whilst I-"

"Right this way, oh and it's generally not mixed bathing so try to be mature. Especially since you might be the only guy in there for the mean time since now is when most of the female staff tends to bathe. Also, you're taking one right now if I do say so myself."

"I...wha…bu…..I hate you right now….."

* * *

_Ahhh_, n_othing beats a nice relaxing bath to wash away all the stress; especially on days like this._ Miss Longueville thought as she gathered her toiletries into a small wooden box. Smiling to herself as she walked down the hallways, the former thief had to admit that this was one of the better decisions in her life. Known to many as Foquet the Crumbling Earth, the infamous bandit had recently turned a new leaf when her original plans to steal the Staff of Destruction went awry. Although the lack of adventure was something that she missed, the significant amount of payment Headmaster Osmond had offered her to ensure the staff's safety more than made up for that particular loss. Silently, Matilda mused, that having a stable income such as this was quite beneficial to her, especially since she was able send a considerable amount of donations to the orphanage and her younger 'sister' back home more frequently; a boon compared to the variable funds made in selling priceless artifacts and heirlooms she stole from various nobles to the black market.

_To top it all off, I even found myself a keeper. All I have to do now is wait for him to take the bait and then he's allll mine._

Blissfully caught up in her own imagination, the former thief was pleasantly surprised at the site she saw upon opening the door to the staff washroom. Standing in front of a mirror and using a knife for shaving, the Imperial soldier was seemingly unaware of her entrance and was even more impressive in person. Apart from Mr. Colbert, Miss Longueville thought she would have never laid eyes upon another man that kept his body in fighting trim, let alone the entire entrée itself in full view; a rather enjoyable moment of fan service if she did say so herself. Apparently, she wasn't the only staff member that was impressed with their latest catch, as a fair amount giggling could be heard elsewhere in the washroom; although it was a bit awkward seeing a few men engaged in the act as well.

"So this is where the excitement is happening. I was wondering what all the commotion was about."

_Gaaah! Jean?! How did you get here so quickly?_

"Not my fault, I was ordered to take a bath under pain of death by the maids."

"Heheh surrre, I bet they also couldn't wait to see the man underneath the mysterious armor."

"You know the saying; course it could just be the scars…or both."

"Right. Well when you've finished cleaning up, you might want to meet your friends back in the dormitory section. Miss Vallière and Miss Wraith have returned from their trip and they have gotten you a few items as well; your original belongings I have in my workshop which you can pick up later."

"Roger."

"Do hurry…Oh and before I forget, Matilda….You're drooling."

_I am? Crap._

* * *

_What has been seen can not be unseen…..and it is glorious._

Walking behind the now clean Imperial, Siesta never noticed that her face was a rather healthy shade of red as the two left the washrooms for the dormitory area. Despite the envious looks the others were giving her, she had to admit that this was the best 'volunteer' service that she has ever had. _Not my fault they assigned me to take care of The People's Breedi-I mean Sword, yeah sword, that's it._ She thought, almost walking into the commando's back as he abruptly stopped in front of her. Tilting her head so that she could see, Siesta was curious as to what piqued the man's interest. Her curiosity was quickly transformed into amusement, as she would later find it hard to believe what happened next.

"Query: 'Sup Meatbag?"

* * *

I'm sorry, I had this great idea in mind of having a quick humorous scene of the Siesta basically ordering Varl to head to the showers, before meeting up with Colbert where the two would end up meeting Louise, Mira, and a non-talking Derflinger, only to have Varl take the sword and start having a conversation with it like he was nuts. In the end, the story tends to write itself out and this is what we ended up with; course, it was funny as hell thinking about how people would react to seeing such a sight. I will admit that I did sort of base this off of some of my own experiences in the past, and found it very easy to actually see this happening. Considering the fact that Varl is, essentially me, barring different background history and some minor differences in appearance; ie: I don't have scars or get helmet hair (least not anymore).

In case anyone thinks that something like this is a bit far fetched, I can officially claim to the fact that I have had quite a few interesting moments at conventions, once even randomly out of the blue, where some of the fairer sex have indeed groped/felt/grabbed me while trooping around. Kinda funny when the bucket is off, and a random girl comes up to give you something other than just a hug, or photo request. Awkward as hell though when they're cosplaying as a particular character and you honestly can't tell if they're doing something in character or not (Anime Expo 2011, send a message and I might tell ya what happened.) As for having a few men lust after Varl? Unfortunately I've actually had that happen to me as well, and it's something I'm not really fond of having experienced; I'd rather not talk about it. Why I put him in a similar situation? Cause I felt like it.

Up next is...I dunno...something something something PROFIT!


	10. An Awkward Silence

"_Be happy? How can a dead man be happy?"_

_-Sgt John Varl to a curious student_

* * *

_Chirp, Chirp, chirp_

As dawn began to rise once again on the lands of Tristain, Louise awoke to the first sounds of nature as the first rays of sunlight caressed her face. Like any kid her age, the young girl was not keen on waking up, and quickly grabbed the covers in hopes of avoiding the inevitable. _Why must there be Mondays? And Tuesdays?_ She thought, wishing that she could continue having the wonderful dream that was so casually interrupted.

"Hey kid, it's time for PT so unless you want a bucket of water poured over you I suggest you get up."

"Mmmfiine."

Looking out from under her covers, Louise was quite unimpressed with just how early it actually was in the morning. Not being a morning person herself, the teenager wrapped herself up intending to drift off back to sleep in the blissful warmth of her bed, hoping that her acquaintance was not going to actually follow up on his statement. _Just five more minutes….maybe thirty._ She mumbled to herself, using the little willpower she currently had left to will the Imperial to ignore her sleeping figure. Unfortunately, such attempts were in vain, as she suddenly found herself the brand new owner of a very wet, not to mention quite chilly, nightgown.

"GAAAAAAH! I'M UP! I'M UP!"

"Good, now help me wake wolf girl up as well."

Shivering in her wet pajama's, Louise de la Valierre should have realized, nay, expected the Imperial to be true to his word. Despite the very rocky start to their relationship, the medieval girl had gotten to know her two partners rather well in the last two weeks. Conflicting personalities and interests aside, it has been quite the learning experience for all of them. _Especially the incident with that sword. By the Founder I will never let the Jedi convince me to let her make an inanimate object talk again._ She mused, chuckling over how badly the soldier had gotten the better of them later on. One of these days she would have to figure out how he was able to disappear like that without an invisibility cloak, lest he use that skill for more unsavory applications.

"How exactly am I supposed to help you wake her up?"

"Hold the door open and get ready."

"Are you thinking o-"

"Yes."

_I'm never telling you were to find things ever again._

* * *

"2 Mile mark in three….two….one….Fifteen minutes flat, not bad for someone just starting to get in physical shape. Not bad at all."

"Damn….you….Imp…..I'll….kill….you."

"You're fault, not mine…..Now go hit the refreshers, you got class in 30, so be quick."

Sgt John Varl had to admit it, but despite the pink haired girl's earlier faults, he was nonetheless impressed over how determined the young mage was. Having somehow convinced Louise that she could improve herself as a mage both physically and mentally at the same time through some exercise, it had been rather amusing for the Imperial to be suddenly given the order to ensure that his 'guardian' gets a proper amount of training in; an order which he quite masterfully took pleasure in. With extensive knowledge on just how fast and far to push an unenhanced human body, John was able to whip not only that Louise into shape, but several of the younger staff as well.

_Although I bet they joined purely for the eye candy._ He mused, removing a weighted rucksack from his back. As he dropped the heavy pack, the Imperial let out a sigh of frustration when he noticed a decent sized tear going across the bottom. Hoping to minimize the fatigue on his irreplaceable equipment, John thought that he would have been able to use local resources to augment his own training. As such, while he had been able to get one of the so called earth mages, one by the name of Miss Longueville, to create multiple compact, heavy, and stackable set of bricks with various weights for him, John was unable to find something durable enough that could withstand the intensity of exercise that he needed to sustain. However, while he could reduce the effect it had in the long term and still meet standards, finding a way to maintain and even hone his more, sensitive, skills would be quite troublesome.

"Speaking of trouble, I should probably head off to the workshop pretty soon. Mr. Colbert did say he required my assistance in getting something ready for his lecture. Hey Siesta, think you can finish your cool down without me?"

"Awww….ok."

* * *

Professor Colbert, hardened soldier and self professed engineer, could hardly contain his excitement. After many months of hard work and repeated design failures, the eccentric fire mage was finally ready to show the class, and the world, his latest creation. Smiling profusely when he saw his current compatriot come into the workshop, Jean rapidly motioned to his fellow veteran to what needed to be lifted. If he wasn't self conscious at the moment, the middle aged practitioner of fire magic would probably have been laughing like some sort of crazed wizard by now. Evidently, the Imperial had sensed his current state of eccentricity as well.

"So, what's under curtain number one? A blender? Or maybe a better mousetrap?"

"Watch, and be amazed….Behold!"

Lifting the covers off his invention, Colbert provided a quick demonstration to the workings of his device. Although it was brief and rather simplistic, Jean was more than pleased at the results, especially when his audience was just as impressed if not more so. _Score one for science._ He thought as he covered the contraption up.

"A combustion engine….Most impressive, did you build that yourself?"

"First of its kind, well for my people that is, I don't know how prevalent they are where you come from."

"Weeeellll, in certain fields they are more readily available to use. Let's just say that where the Jedi and I came from, we could mass produce engines even more complex in the thousands daily. Well, at least my people were capable of it, till….."

"Till what?"

"…Long story….Anyways, shall we teach these heathens the meaning of science?"

"FOR SCIENCE!"

* * *

Although Professor Colbert's lecture had proven to be insightful, if not interesting, for some odd reason Louise couldn't shake the feeling that she had witness something even more provocative than revolutionary as well. While the young girl had a faint suspicion of veiled conflict between her two guardians, she was nonetheless surprised when Ms Wraith just left the class room without a word. _I wonder if Varl could fill me in on this._ She thought, hoping that the storm commando would willingly inform her of the Jedi's current predicament. As it turned out, her Imperial guardian had similar thoughts as well.

"So, care to tell me why they call you Zero?"

"Care to tell me why Mira gave us the cold shoulder?"

"I asked first."

"Urrrgh…fine. It's because I have zero talent at magic. Barring summoning you two, I've had zero success as a mage. Happy?"

"No, as a matter of fact I'm not. There's a huge difference between constantly trying to achieve something, no matter how stupid it is, only to end in failure and giving up after the first try. If anything, I'd suggest that you look at the various attempts you had in the past, see what went or felt wrong, and try other methods until you find something that works. I'm not the best person for mystical shit, so chances are you'll have better help from the Jedi in that area. She probably won't be able to help you out when it comes to no longer having a flat chest if you ask me."

_Geee….Thanks for the advice….Jerk. _She thought, relieved at the tangible advice the Imperial was giving her. Although it was infuriating to have him bring him her small breasts size, the young noble girl was starting to learn that he only did it as a harmless jest. Then again, that comment he made in class also seemed to be a wisecrack as well.

"My turn….Why did Mira seem to be so angry with you?"

"Was my comment 'Get your Jedi powers here, free lobotomy and spine removal included!' too polite and subtle?"

"I got that clearly, but it seemed to me that it was something more personal than that. Unlike your revenge for her talking sword trick, it seemed as if that particular statement had set something off within her."

"Oh….My guess is that after all the excitement has died down and a sense of normalcy has returned, the weight of certain events finally hit her, and hit her hard. Now that she remembers, I don't think I'll be forgiven anytime soon by her."

"Forgiven for what?"

"I killed her guardian, her…adoptive mother so to speak…. right in front of her."

Upon hearing this, Louise could do nothing but remain speechless. What could she say, to someone who coldly stated that they had killed someone else's parent? How could she comfort the Jedi as well? Despite having an incredibly ill older sister, Louise had never experienced the pain of losing someone dear to her.

As the pair continued to walk, a foreboding silence made its presence known within the hallways with a chilly entrance.

* * *

Sorry for the long wait...Had midterms these last two weeks so I've been busy studying and the last one was today so I figured I'd pick things up were we left off. If it isn't obvious from his derogatory comment, Varl hates the Jedi Order (and the Sith to a degree) with a passion, later chapters will provide some background into this hatred of his. On a side note, while thinking about where in the Star Wars timeline this should occur, as to make certain relationships be that more reasonable, I've decided that this occurs, a few years before Alderaan meets it's maker. This will allow Mira's anger over how seemingly detached Varl is over the deaths of so many innocent..ok formerly innocent...people, since Alderaan has yet to shoot first as well...True story! Alderaan did shoot first, via the Tantive IV, under the command of one lowly senator...DOHOHOHO! (I actually said that in jest once...then someone just haaad to point out that it actually was the first thing to occur in A New Hope. Hilarity ensued). This also allows me to have Varl be aware of the Clone Wars himself, despite being from the Unknown Regions as well.

As for Derflinger actually having any speaking roles? FOOOOOOOLED YOOOOOOOU! Possibly...maybe...signs point to something.

Also...KANE GIVE ME A GOD DAMN WAY TO REPLY BACK TO YOU...YOU MAGNIFICENT BASTARD YOU!


	11. Insert Monty Python Quote here

"_What kind of sick fuck…..Not even the damn ISB goons would cross this line."_

_-Unknown Party, assumed to be of Imperial origins_

* * *

Within the center of the capitol of Tristian, surrounded by lush gardens and a passing river, was the Valais Castle, permanent residence for the Tristain Royal Family. Normally open to the public, save for a few select private areas, the centuries old fortress in recent years had become quite the tourist attraction. Very little escaped the eyes of the swaths of visitors and because of this, there wasn't really that much for the more devious of guests to search for. In retrospect, by having a readily open source of contact with the general populace, the more secretive and sensitive operations of running a country could be held elsewhere. For deep within the bowels of the castle, guarded by members of the Praetorian Guard, was the War Room.

This was where members of the Royal Chief of Staff met on a daily basis to discuss the military operations and the future of the Tristain nation.

This was where Henrietta Anne, Crowned Princess of Tristain, had spent the majority of her waking hours in the last few weeks.

The current topic of the past couple of days' lesson was the ever growing Rebellion occurring in the neighboring and ever floating above the clouds nation of Albion.

"General De Gaulle, if my current sources knew just what was going on over there and how exactly the Rebellion were getting the necessary support they required, why else would I be suggesting to send in a strike team?"

"It's inconceivable! If such a team is captured, we would be facing more than just retribution from the so called Reconquista organization, but a full scaled invasion by the local military superpower. Only our alliance with Romalia and Germania would be able to prevent such an event from occurring but even then it would spell catastrophe for us all!"

_And yet, you guys have yet to come up with a feasible alternate solution to what General (Ret.) Montford has in mind. No wonder most of these men are called armchair generals sometimes._ Henrietta thought, mentally sighing to herself as she continued to listen to the ramblings of military men. All things considered, she normally relished the prospects of learning from the military and business minded; a trait that she picked up on from her late father. However, with the Royal Family of Albion, distant relatives and fellow descendants of Brimir himself currently threatened and faced with a bloody end, such enjoyments had to be put onto the side.

Tapping ever so softly a long silver cylinder in her hand, the Crowned Princess idly wondered just how to deal with such a situation. In truth, while she did not have to worry about such a violent uprising occurring under her reign, due to the several reforms that both her late father and herself had passed which allowed her people to prosper, if the uprising were to spill over onto the mainland many of her followers would suffer immensely. To make matters worse, while she had fully intended to curb the excessive opulence and decadent ways of the mage class within her country, the timing of events could throw everything that she had set into motion out of order.

However…

"General De Gaulle, Mr. Montford, I believe the problem lies within the fact that we cannot 'officially' be seen having a hand in this matter, am I correct?"

"That is correct Your Highness."

"Yes Your Majesty."

"Then why don't we use assets that we can disavow if captured or killed? More of a covert ops group rather than a strike team so to speak."

"Hmm, black ops, going to need volunteers, skilled ones and mages as well. If I'm thinking along the same lines as Montford, we're going to need a small team, no more than four to six people at most. I believe Viscount Wardes might be an eligible leader for such an operation."

"Excellent, I'll leave the planning of this to you gentlemen, but make sure that the volunteers know the risks involved."

* * *

_Elsewhere_

_Knock Knock_.

"Who is it?"

"It's me, Varl. I've brought you some food."

_Not him again. Why does it have to be that person?_ Mira sullenly thought as she got up from the wall she was sitting against. While she was currently not in the best state of mind, having not eaten anything for days as the stress of having her entire world destroyed in front of her took its toll, Mira was rather unwilling to have someone else take care of her. Although the Fenrisian had the mental disciplines of an experienced Jedi Knight, she was still a being capable of emotions, if not more sensitive to them than others.

Opening the door slightly to the room she was sulking in, Mira glared menacingly at her counterpart, clearly not in the mood for accepting _his_ help. While her ears twitched furtively in anger, she was surprised by the amount of concern within the Imperial's eyes. This only seemed to further her resentment of the man.

"What do you want?"

"You haven't eaten or talked to anyone in days. I'm a bit worried about you, cause what you're doing isn't good for you."

"Awww, worried about poor little me? Worried that you're gonna fail your mission because the Jedi decided to have a tantrum? How thoughtful of you..."

"Look, we may be on different sides, but that doesn't mean we have to be at each other's throats. I know it's difficult for you right now, but you can't let your grief take over. Please eat something, and think of how you can honor the dead by –"

Incensed at this latest statement, Mira was not going to let the shadow scout finish what he was about to say. Her tail puffed out and swishing behind her rapidly gave her the appearance of a wolf ready to pounce on its prey. In truth, such a description would be far off the mark as she was thinking of going for the man's throat in a fit of rage.

"Honor the dead? Are you that inconsiderate of those that died by using them as an excuse to get me to eat? What are you broken?"

"I-"

"You Imperials are all the same, sowing death and destruction everywhere you go. Do you know what it's like to see everyone you've ever known be put to the flame like that? Do you know what it's like to lose everything?! Are you that heartless?! Why I-"

Before she could even finish her rant, Mira felt a flicker of emotion coming from the Imperial. The briefest moment, the Jedi could see beyond the ever constant simmering rage that burned inside the man. What she saw, no felt, was something beyond her expectations. As her ears fell forward in regret, Mira began to feel as if she did something terrible, like she had wrongfully attacked someone that had once been close to her. _Why do I feel this way?_

"I'm sorry…I shouldn't have said that. It's just so hard when everyone you know is gone, just like that."

"Their death's came mercifully quick. Home did not have that luxury at all."

Glancing upwards, Mira was at a loss over what to do. In truth, when she looked over to the Imperial, she somewhat expected him to just walk away with the tray of food in hand, leaving her no room for forgiveness. Thankfully, despite how the commando's eyes no longer held a hint of concern, the man still stood in front of the doorway as if waiting for a proper response. Amusingly enough her stomach was more than eager to provide such an answer.

"I….give up…I'll eat."

* * *

Sorry bout the wait, was busy with midterms and papers which held more priority over this. Anyways one of the things I'll tell you all is that the relationship between the Wales and Henrietta will be explained further down the line, but the major change will be that they are not lovers, family yes, but let's just say they have different tastes and leave it at that. As for Varl being in a state of tranquil...or not so tranquil fury all the time? That's sort of how I usually am. Sure he/I may be a nice person and easy to get along with, but all things considered, the both of us have a lot of reasons for being the angry balls of hatred that we are. For me it's due to quite a few stuff that have happened in life, causing me to have an utter lack faith in humanity as a whole (individual people are excempt from this) and become a cynical person. As for Varl? Well I won't spoil anything story wise but let's just say that the Jedi Order has a lot to answer for.

See you next time.


	12. School on Fire: Part 1

"_I wonder how badly I can break the 4__th__ wall this time…."_

_Headmaster Osmond…..being a dick_

* * *

"What are you doing in the hallway Tabitha?"

"Waiting…"

_For what? It's O Dark Thirty for crying out loud! _Eyeing the small, yet studious girl that had been sitting on the floor, Louise couldn't help but wonder what her blue haired classmate was up to. On one hand, the young mage did know that the two exchange students in her class were often in their own worlds. On the other hand, she had never seen one pull guard duty for the other until now.

Biting her lower lip, Louise was torn between satisfying an ever growing curiosity to find out what was going on, or somewhat more preferably remaining ignorant of the situation and act like nothing was out of the ordinary. It wasn't long before the young mage came to a decision; the emotionless stare she was getting from her fellow student was just too suspicious for its own good. _I'm probably going to regret doing this._ She thought, sighing as she walked towards the current suspect of her inquisitive probe.

"You mind telling me what's going on?"

"Nothing."

"Riiight, then why is there a magic circle written on Kirche's door? "

"No reason."

"Bullshit."

Glancing back and forth between the impassive girl in front of her and the obviously new addition upon her floor-mate's door, Louise decided that there was more than one way to find out what was going on. Gently pushing Tabitha out of the way, she pressed her ear firmly against the wooden frame of the door, hoping to get a better sense of what occurred behind the closed door. What she heard, much to her consternation, was the rhythmic sounds of deep panting as well as some rather heavy moaning coming from the insides of the Germanian girls room. _So that's why…._

Motioning ever so slowly to Tabitha, the two girls with oddly colored hair went back into Louise's room, a less conspicuous place to ensure that the fiery redhead's antics were not exposed. After all, despite her rivalry with that particular girl, even Louise knew of the old saying, "What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas." That being said, one of the added benefits of bringing Tabitha into her own chambers was so that she could possibly get some help from her fellow flat chested friend.

"Hey Tabitha, are you any good with technology, or whatever it is the commoners call it?"

"Depends."

"On? Gimme a limb here."

"If it's interesting enough."

_Why did I know she was going to say that?_ Louise thought, sighing in frustration as she dropped her head downwards. Not wanting the situation to get the better of her, Louise quickly and quietly went to her dresser in order to grab something. Opening one of the drawers, the young girl revealed to her now captive audience what exactly she needed help with. Clasped firmly in her hand, was an Imperial data slate, one she ever so discreetly managed to requisition off of the shadow scout's belongings while he wasn't looking. Interestingly enough, the fact that she was able to activate it, based upon some careful observations done in her free time, was something even more impressive for the technological unsavvy girl.

* * *

_Elsewhere in the Academy_

Deep within the center of the Academy, an old yet very powerful man was deep within his own thoughts. For countless years, as he watched his students transform into the future of the world, there was always something that weighed heavily upon his strained heart. In recent times, it would seem trivial, compared to what his students had already been put through; however such things weren't what made several of the Queen's most favored mages into who they were. Looking outwards onto the Academy's campus, Headmaster Osmond sighed heavily as to how exactly he would be able to mold this current generation of students into fine men and women.

"I wonder if I should have an old friend of mine come and scare the crap out of everyone. Or would that be too much this time around? Hmm, maybe I could have the servants go on a panty raid in the senior dorm areas, then place said lingerie into the second year male dorms. Wouldn't that be fun?"

….

…

.

Apparently such thoughts often revolved around ways of messing with the current batch of uneducated lads and lasses. Clasping his hands behind his back, the mischievous principal of the school contemplated upon various plans of tomfoolery that he could enact upon the unsuspecting victims. With his long white beard hiding his facial features, one would be hard pressed to see a rather roguish smile written upon Osmond's face.

Chuckling as he figured something out, Osmond hummed a jaunty tune to himself, an old song that he learned back in his childhood. As he did so, the old mage just barely noticed what appeared to be a small fire besides one of the outer walls. Ah _Colbert, always setting something on fire somehow._ Osmond thought, aware of his fellow professors past profession and the man's habit of having his failures somehow self combust. However, despite this awareness, it took the wise old man a few seconds to realize that the fire wasn't coming from Colbert's Workshop this time around. A few seconds too late as explosions engulfed most of the academy and its living quarters.

Knocked backwards as the concussive shockwave reached his office the old mage gasped in pain when his aged body slammed into the floor. As he struggled to regain his composure, Osmond took a quick glance outwards to survey the damage that occurred during the surprise attack. Aghast in horror, the tired and fragile wizard could only look in melancholy as fires burned amongst the campus grounds, smoke billowing upwards into the night sky.

"Well fuck, I am gonna need a drink when this is all done and over with. I don't suppose there's a place nearby to get one though eh?"

* * *

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I know this is late, but I was having trouble deciding on Osmond's personality, not to mention had to write some reports for classes as well. Anyways, updates will slow down a bit as I do my best to ensure the quality of the story remains consistent while my final semester of college wraps up. Dunno how things will turn out once I get a job, but I assure you that I'll do my best to keep posting new chapters as ideas come along. Oh and before I forget, Osmond is either gonna lean on the fourth wall constantly, or just break it entirely at times. I dunno I haven't decided, but he's going to be a dick nonetheless. Also...I'M IN THE 501st LEGION NOW! 'MPIRE FUCK YEAH!


	13. School on Fire: Part 2

"_Schools out…for summer!"_

_-Sgt Varl humming a jaunty tune to himself_

* * *

_Crack!_

"This room is empty; this entire floor either evacuated early on or was never occupied."

"Confirmed, I got a few burn victims on my end but nothing too serious. Continue checking the academy as much as possible, I doubt the locals will have the same amount of luck as you would. Stay safe in there."

_Well I wouldn't call it luck, but I'll take it nonetheless._ Sergeant Varl mused as he searched the burning building for any survivors. A few minutes ago, he had been peacefully resting alongside his Jedi counterpart with nary a concern for the outside world; his reconciliation efforts with her the past few days had finally paid off and the two were on better terms. After the first few explosions occurred, any thoughts of a peaceful night were quickly dashed as both Jedi and combat instincts kicked into sixth gear, the two running straight into the danger zone. Now, as the Imperial stood clad in armor that was virtually resistant to the raging fires occurring throughout the campus, John did his best to aid the relief efforts that were currently underway.

Stepping carefully onto the next floor, John cursed silently as smoked billowed across the hallway. Grimacing over the fact that he would be using the rather finite battery source for his helmets thermal vision, the commando grudgingly turned the helmet on to its full capacity; the stakes were high and the loss of life was incomparable to the power spent during rescue operations. As the Imperial's helmet visor began to adjust to the feed coming from several internal visual enhancement processors, the outlines of several bodies in various states came into view. _Impressive, now I know why damage control teams would never shut up about the full capabilities of these damn things._ He thought, amused immensely as a thick wooden door crumbled beneath the weight of his eight pound armored boot.

"CASUALTY REPORT!"

_Christ; forgot how loud those speakers were._

"Over here! *cough cough* I've got injured over here!"

"HOW MANY?"

"Two staff and one whom I believe is from the royal palace…I think they're unconscious."

"LET'S GET THEM OUT THEN."

"How can you yell in all this smoke?"

"BITCH, I'M AWESOME…THAT'S WHY! NOW MOVE YOUR FAT ASS WHILE I CARRY THESE FUCKERS OUT; SAME GOES FOR THE REST OF YOU! EXIT IS JUST DOWN THAT STAIRWAY AND TO THE LEFT!"

* * *

"Hey! Wake up! We need to get out of here! Wake up!"

"Mmmnggrrrhh."

_Crap, it's no use; they're completely out cold._

Sighing heavily, Siesta Perone dragged onwards as the weight of situation fell down upon her. Breathing deeply in order to catch her breath, the young maid sobbed quietly to herself as she assessed the limited options that she had. On one hand, she could continue on her current course of action, dragging two unconscious students to safety, potentially risking all their lives in the process. On the other, there was always the choice of ditching the helpless and saving her own life; a cowardly course of action that would bring dishonor upon her meager family's name. It was dire straits no matter what she chose to do as her time was limited.

Unfortunately, in the small amount of time that it took Siesta to catch her breath, the wooden supports above the doorway came crashing down blocking her only exit out of the hellish hallway. Falling down to her knees, the young maid tried her best not to fall into despair despite not knowing what to do. Her hands, once soft and gentle as any fair maidens could be, were already heavily burnt and would not be able to withstand the contact to extremely hot cinders.

"Damn, damn, damn!"

She cursed, knowing full well that venting her frustrations now would be in vain. Hoping that one of unconscious students was a competent wizard, she did her best to once more bring them back to the realm of the living. As she tried to wake up a small blue haired girl, one whom she believed was a wind mage if memory served her correctly; the exhausted maid just barely noticed that the other girl had gone into an upright position. Looking at the Valierre girl, whom much to Siesta's surprise was still unresponsive, the now confused maid could have sworn that she had heard something coming from the pink haired girl. At least she thought she heard something before her counterpart went back to slumber land.

"Dispel? Dispel what? The fi…..re?"

_The fuck is going ooooooon?!_

Shocked at the complete lack of heat, not to mention the burning crescendo of a fiery ablaze, it took a few seconds for Siesta to realize that she did not go crazy in the heat of the moment. Staring at the unresponsive figure of Louise the Zero, the exhausted maid could not help but laugh at the turn of events. Not wanting to let this opportunity be wasted, Siesta quickly got to her feet and back to work. Even though there was no one around to tell, she was determined to see just what else was in store for that particular noble born...

* * *

And here is the midway point of this arc as various characters do their best to combat the ongoing flames occurring throughout the campus. As we can see, Louise is beginning to develop her Void powers, just not in the normal way. Call it divine intervention, but I liked the idea of her not knowing the full extent of her capabilities the first time they are used. Hell, not to mention the fact that people can do some pretty crazy stuff while unconscious. Other than that, I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Oh yeah and before I forget, I'm also working on my Vallock story again so updates will come a little slower since I'm working on two different stories, one of them being in it's own original universe so to say. I'm hoping I can get some work done on Vallock again as much as possible since I have considerably more say what goes on there since the plot is of my own creation. That will be updated on both DeviantArt and


End file.
